The Next Level In Gaming

The Curiosity Cube will need no introduction to many of you. To those of you who don’t know, it is the first game/project by independent gaming company 22Cans. An addictive tap-athon, players earn virtual currency by tapping/breaking the tiny little cubes that, together, make up a massive cube. Players score extra for combo-chains which are generated through tapping the cubes accurately.

How the cube was looking at the time this article was written.

But the ultimate goal of the project isn’t to be the one to amass the most coins, oh no (although it could help you achieve the final objective). Player’s ultimate target is to be the one to break the final cube. The prize for attaining this grand achievement? Only 3 people in the world currently know the answer ; 22Cans founder Peter Molyneux, the sound engineer who recorded the sounds of the final video and one further person Molyneux has not revealed.

With the cube now being on the verge of diminished (it was reported that it was down to its last 50 layers earlier this month, although the figure is sure to be much less now) I’ve been doing something I’m sure every other one of the app’s 5 million-odd players has done : speculating whats inside the box. Here is what I’ve come up with

Inspirational video

I’ll begin with the most obvious, most likely (and most disappointing) possibility ; that tapping the final cube will lead to nothing more than a video containing some ‘word of wisdom’ by the man himself. Contents of such a video could be anything from quotes on how to live a more peaceful life by the Dalai Lama, Peter’s own take on what constitutes happiness, a lecture about how the journey to the cube’s core was its own reward, there are heaps of possibilities.

There -will- be a video of Peter Molyneux to greet the winner.Lets hope that’s not all there is…

I mean, we already know for sure that there will be a video, as evidenced by Molyneux’s reveal about his sound engineer knowing the big secret. Lets just hope that’s not all the big secret is.

Guaranteed ticket into Outer Space

Molyneux famously described the prize at for breaking through the cube as “life-changing in any measurable way”. What could be more life-changing than a journey into space? It was announced in April that a private project called Mars One was recruiting people to start the first permanent human colony on Mars. The Mars One team have stated that the main qualities they will be looking for when selecting astronauts will be resilience, adaptability, curiosity, ability to trust others, and creativity/resourcefulness. As players of the cube have collectively demonstrated all of these traits in their endeavour to get to the bottom of the cube, what better way to celebrate its legacy than to have its most successful player represent it in a brand new society?

Could the one that manages to break the cube be invited to Mars to go fourth and, well, multiply? Unlikely, but possible!

Would 22Cans have the resources to pull off such a stunt as securing a guaranteed place on the project for though? Peter’s a well-connected guy, so there’s no reason to assume he doesn’t know someone who knows someone. He’s also been making top games for over 20 years and is highly revered for that. Who knows, maybe one of the Mars One project managers is a Populous fan? Or Black & White fan? Or Fable fan (you get the picture)?

A large sum of money

A large sum of money would be life-changing. To some of us. If, say, Prince Harry happens to be the one to administer the final click would the money change his life in ‘any measurable way’. Not so much. Still, it would be a lovely gift for the winner to receive. And for the rest of the world watching ; a rather boring one. Lets hope its not this.

You don’t really think 22Cans will give such a boring prize… do you?

The rights to 22Cans 3rd game

From one social experiment to another ; what if the prize for penetrating the cube’s core is the rights to a 22Cans game? With which the lucky individual can do whatever they please ; release/distribute it themselves, sell it, sit on the secret : whatever they wish! What a way to really bring the God genre to life!

Bestowing the winner with the rights to a 22Cans game would prove as much of a Pandora’s box as the Curiosity cube itself!

Its certainly a prize that would capture the imagination of gamers everywhere, and something that, like the ticket into space, would be remembered for a very long time.

Whatever the eventual prize is one thing’s for certain : whoever managed to crack that last cube will have unlocked a most significant achievement in gaming history. And have bragging rights for life. An award which is certainly one worth striving for in itself.